They just let the clock run down to 4 seconds and they called time-out. Can you imagine what we would say and do in Baltimore if Joe Flacco did that at the end of a game?

With Bailey on the left hash mark, he wasn’t in the straight-on position that most kickers prefer, particularly with the wind swirling in the south end of the stadium. He tugged the 51 yard effort just left and the Ravens came out on top, somehow, 31-29.

(This is where we all would have grilled John Harbaugh for a week for not “icing” the kicker, since the Ravens had a time-out remaining, but it didn’t matter.)

Maybe Harbaugh knew something that we didn’t.

Perhaps he knew that despite not having several key defensive players — most notably Lardarius Webb, Ray Lewis and Jimmy Smith — for that final four minutes of regulation, his team would somehow escape with an unlikely win.

Who knows, maybe John is borrowing a page from the Buck Showalter handbook and just letting the chips fall where they may during the game. Showalter always had that look of “whatever happens, happens…” Maybe Harbs is employing that theory now, hence his decision to not call time-out as Bailey approached his game-winning kick.

Whatever — it worked.

It might have taken a miracle…and they were awfully lucky…but Harbaugh’s Ravens are 5-1. You can go back through NFL history and look at teams that are 5-1 after six weeks and most of them — I’d guess 93% without looking it up — qualify for post-season play.

I won’t go as far as to say this Ravens team has a playoff berth locked up. We’ll see if they wear their big boy pants in Houston next Sunday when they take on the Texans. A victory over Matt Schaub and Company would go a long to erasing the foul odor of last week’s 9-6 “thriller” in Kansas City and today’s Atlantic City Special over Dallas. But a 5-1 start requires quite a collapse to not at least reach the 10-win mark. Hell, with the stinky nature of the AFC North this season, I’m betting 9-7 might be good enough to raise another banner in Baltimore.

In the end, like virtually any other win, you just file this away in the “W” folder and move on to next week.

There aren’t any style points in the NFL.

No one gets a few extra points taken off their winning percentage because they backed into a win at home against a team that is now 2-3.

You can look at the standings today and it says: RAVENS 5-1

It doesn’t say: RAVENS 5-1 (but really they should be 4-2)

A win is a win.

And a loss, as Dallas found out, is a loss, especially when you give away the game like they did in Baltimore on Sunday.

First of all SAL your a JACKA**,
This team is in some dire straits, the defense looked like swiss cheese and the potential loss of Webb and Lewis may just be setting us up for a collalpse to the Post-Season. I was listening to people get on the fire Pees bandwagon, don’t even start with that crap. When u lose the personnel we have lost and have Cary Williams get dragged down the field like a rag doll by Dez, what can you expect. I hope this D can hold on to games so the offense can play. Hey it worked in New England three times it can work here

The time of possession is a little skewed by the kickoff return for a TD which takes the ball away from the offense. But the bottom line is the young players on defense just aren’t ready to play prime time Ravens D. Pitta,Dickson and T Smith were ready to step up on offense but A Jones,T Cody, P Kruger, P McPhee, S Kindle,D Ellerbe,J Smith, J McClain and A McClelland just aren’t getting it done.

The defense is he result of the Ravens organization heavily focusing on the Offense. No surprise there. Add in losing Suggs and basically the entire defense play calling changes. You are basically stuck with what you have.

But I am still blown away by the Cam play calling on offense. Deep in the Ravens territory, 3rd and forever, Cam calls a lazy screen to Rice that thankfully was batted at the line. Had it been “completed” its a 50-50 shot at an interception for six and a five yard loss.

At the end of the game, the Ravens only have one loss…and it completely blows my mind.

Garrett’s decision to kick the extra point at 24-19, instead of trying for a 2 pt. conversion played a part in their loss. But, the clock management at the end spoke volumes for why Dallas continues to lose! Our defense was terrible before the loss of Webb and Lewis, so it only figures to get worse! That puts more pressure on the offense, which has the personnel and ability, to be prolific, but not the….coaching! Here’s hoping they prove me wrong………

@Diablo,
Anyone who grouses about Cam after this game… well they just don’t understand sports. That is a statement from a moron. One PLAY in the game??? and in bad field position?? I just don’t get why people think that they know better AFTER THE FACT. Tons of Raven “fans” think that if one or two things had gone different in their lives, that they would be standing on an NFL sideline. If we were to question Diablo under the hot lights, he would say that he could do a better job than a man who has spent his whole life in the game….. and has reached the pinnacle of his profession.

Teams in the NFL all have great players and excellent coaching. They both TRY. To think that it is about just coaching is nuts. Luck and breaks sometimes have as much to do with a win or loss in ANY game. If they didn’t we would not watch.

All the stats on a given Sunday don’t mean squat if you don’t win. And Baltimore thinks John has terrible clock management? Jason blew it at the end. And Drew you are right, if that John, fans would be going nuts.

I think some Baltimore fans have a hard time separating the Ravens D of past with the current. Our D is going to give up yards and points, it’s reality. As long as our O puts up more points than the opponent then we win. If not, then we lose.

I’m not one for an icing an kicker – I’ve it seen it burn teams more than not. If John was going to leave a TO on the board, that was the one I wanted him to leave. And he did!

Well like one of the previous posters said, it was a swiss cheese D. Its been suspect since the beginning of the season with the injuries, free agent losses and aging stars. This isn’t your fathers Ravens D. This season for the 1st time it will be up to the Joe and the Offense to get it done and carry this team to the playoffs. The one good thisg is that its the beginning of the season and there is still time to straighten things out going forward,even as we’re inexplicably 5-1. We’ll see how Harbs and his brain trust can try and tweak this thing to make improvements. Tuna says you are what your record says you are, so I won’t argue with 1st, I just can’t tell you how it happened..

We are 5&1 should be 6&0 if Flacco pulls the Eagles game out which he should have with under 2 minutes left, that’s on him. A win is a win and I will take it. My question is can anybody make a tackle on the Ravens enough with the trying to body check the runner…it’s not working.